we played the flute for you

The Greek that is translated in English as “we played the flute for you” is translated in Chichewa (interconfessional translation, 1999) as tidaakuimbirani ng’oma yaukwati or “we played the wedding drum for you” to match the culturally relevant meaning. (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 74)

For the same reason, in Yakan and Kankanaey the musical instrument is translated as “gongs” (source: Yakan and Kankanaey Back Translations), in Western Bukidnon Manobo as “drumming” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa as “stringed-instruments” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also flute and flute players.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Matt. 11:17 / Luke 7:32)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the multitudes).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Matthew 11:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 11:17:

  • Uma: “they say: ‘We invited you to play flutes, you did not want to be glad with us. We invited you to wail, you also did not want to weep with us.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘We beat the gongs for you, but you did not dance. We wailed but you did not cry.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “‘We are drumming for you, and you will not dance. We pretend mourning, and you won’t join in either.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘We (excl.) were certainly playing-the-gongs, but you refused to dance. Therefore we (excl.) sang-funeral-songs, but you still refused to join in.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “They’re saying, ‘Whatever we (excl.) do, it doesn’t suit you (pl.). We play stringed-instruments for you but you don’t dance. We sing songs sung at burials but you don’t cry.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “‘We blew the flute for you to dance but you wouldn’t dance. And we sang sad songs, but you wouldn’t cry,’ they said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Matthew 11:17

We piped to you (Good News Translation “We played wedding music for you”): the “pipe” was in all likelihood a type of primitive clarinet, though it is impossible to define with precision what instrument is meant. Therefore it may be best to follow the example of those translations which generalize with a verb construction: “We played you a happy tune” (Barclay) and “we played at weddings for you” (Phillips). In those languages that cannot say “played” without indicating the instrument, translators can say “played on our flutes” or “played our instruments for weddings.”

Dance would be the round dance, performed by men on the occasion of the wedding.

We wailed (New English Bible “wept and wailed”) is translated “We sang dirges” by New Jerusalem Bible, “We sang you a dirge” by New American Bible, and “We played at funerals” by Phillips. The Greek verb may mean either “sing a funeral song” or “mourn.” This activity was the responsibility of the women at the funeral. To say “we sang funeral songs” for we wailed will probably be a good solution in many languages. The custom is widely enough practiced that even cultures that do not do it will often understand the meaning of the expression.

And you did not mourn is translated “but you wouldn’t cry” by Good News Translation and Phillips. New Jerusalem Bible attempts to reproduce the funeral scene: “and you wouldn’t be mourners.” Whatever is appropriate behavior at a funeral can be used here, as in “and you wouldn’t cry like you should at funerals” or “… wouldn’t cry like mourners.”

This verse will probably be in direct speech, although there will be languages where the most natural way is to say “one group shouts to the other that they played wedding music for them but the others didn’t dance, and they sang funeral songs but the others wouldn’t cry like mourners.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .